Outlook: The Yellowjackets look to improve upon last season's finish. The BL is up in the air as to where teams will finish and which team will win the league. Gilbert must rebuild quickly after the loss of senior captain Dylan Jefferis (2nd in Class S 138) to graduation.

Coach's take: "On the first day of practice (Nov. 26), our numbers were in the low teens. Hopefully additional athletes come out."

Outlook: The Chiefs are defending BL champions, but lost several key wrestlers to graduation. At year's end, Nonnewaug could battle Terryville for the BL title if it can improve as the season progresses.

Coach's take: "The team will be rebuilding after losing a strong senior class. We will try to improve to challenge for league title."

Outlook: The Rams play in a very tough conference (SCC) and will face perennial D1 powerhouses such as Notre Dame of West Haven, Fairfield Prep, Hamden, West Haven and East Haven. While they must play through a tough schedule, they have hopes of making it to the state tournament.

Coach's take: "We lost a lot of size and skilled players to grauation a year ago. We still have plenty of upperclasmen on the roster, but whether or not they make up for the offense we lost remains to be seen."

Outlook: The SWC-DII is going to be a wide-open division with lots of quality teams. The Indians will look to finish somewhere near the top.

Coach's take: "We will need to play solid defense in front of keepers St. Onge, (Carl) LaRosa and (Christian) Boutot. Three senior defensemen with plenty of experience will help youngsters mature. Lots of experience up front will need to find ways to score and keep teams off-balance with our forechecks."

Outlook: The Big Red will look to compete in each and every game in a very deep and challenging Founders League, and improve upon last season's finish.

Coach's take: "Our team is filled with hard-working individuals who are willing to put their hearts and souls into the team. These girls are a great group and very coachable. I am looking forward to all of the hard work this season."

Outlook: The Wolverines return a small number of seasoned runners who have competed as high as the New England championships. Oxford's success will depend on the development of its younger athletes and finding open events for them to fill the holes left from graduation.

Caoch's take: "If they can stay healthy, this group should be able to build on previous success. If that can happen, this can be one of the most successful years in program history."

Outlook: The Eagles have a smaller team compared to years past, but return several seasoned swimmers and hope to give some top NVL teams competitive meets.

Coach's take: " As always, the NVL has fierce competition in swimming. Every meet is a big meet, and it will be interesting to see how this season shakes out. We are hoping to be in the thick of the action by season's end."

Outlook: The Cowboys lost a large group to graduation, but still hope to have a strong team again this season. They will look to the seniors for leadership and should finish near the top of the BL again.

Coach's take: "The coaches are very excited to see how some of the talent that has joined us this season will make an impact on the team's success."

Outlook: The Greyhounds have lost several key swimmers to graduation over the past several years and will be in a rebuilding phase this year. With 49 swimmers on the team, some are sure to surprise and help lead Naugatuck this season. Sacred Heart looks to be on top of the NVL once again, but the Greyhounds hope to give everyone a run for their money and keep meets close.

Coach's take: "We have a really big group of new swimmers this year that are quite promising. Not a lot of experience, but I'm very encouraged with whats been happening these first few weeks."

Outlook: The Panthers are young and inexperienced, but they have won five consecutive Class L titles and a Class M title the 2006-07 season. It wouldn't be a surprise to see them in the hunt come tournament time.

Coach's take: "A decent amount of potential within the group of returning members exists. Our goal is to contend for a league and state title."

Outlook: The defending NVL and Class S state champions lost several key contributors from last seasons' 16-1 squad, but do bring back seven-time state champion Ray Snyder IV.

Coach's take: "We've lost many All-NVL, All-State and state champions over the past two years, so we will have to rely very heavily on younger and newer swimmers and divers. We have the most kids we've ever had come out for the team, so hopefully we can develop them and stay at the top of the league as well as Class S."

Outlook: The Spartans will look to reclaim their spot on top of the BL after losing the throne last season following 11 consecutive BL titles. With 42 swimmers on the roster, Shepaug carries loads of potential and is sure to be right in the thick of things as the season comes to an end.

Coach's take: "We have some great freshmen with some great experience who will be able to help us right away. We also have four returning BL champions from last year, and we looked great at the BL relays. So far, we're really coming together. Last year Litchfield won the BL, Northwestern was the runner-up, and we came in third. I think those are going to be the top three schools again, and its going to be a three-way battle this year in the BL."

Outlook: The Red Raiders should fall somewhere after Sacred Heart and Naugatuck, battling for the third position in the NVL with Holy Cross, Woodland and Watertown. Torrington has also picked up some out-of-league meets to give its swimmers an idea of what goes on in other leagues and divisions.

Coach's take: "We are very excited for the season to begin. It looks like we have a very dedicated team that is ready to work hard and improve upon last year's finish. We lost a lot in the past couple of years, but we have some talent that is starting to work its way up. We are looking forward to a lot of intense meets inside the NVL and outside the NVL this year."

Outlook: The Chiefs return several All-State gymnasts from last season's team that won the SWC for the first time since joining the conference. They hope to use their experience and put together a successful performance at the state meet. They will also look to improve upon last season's disappointing third place finish at states, going into the meet ranked first.

Coach's take: "We're hoping to have a safe and successful year. We will take it one competition at a time and have fun."

Previews based on information provided by coaches who responded to the Republican-American's invitation.

Follow Us

Post a reader comment

We encourage your feedback and dialog. Please be civil and respectful.If you're witty, to the point and quotable, your reader comments may also be included on the Around the Towns page of The Sunday Republican. Readers must be registered and logged in to post comments on the site. Registration is free. Click Here to register.
A Subscription is not required to post comments only a Registration.